Assigrwob to american can com



Aug. 28, 1928.-

J. PICKERELL FINGER GAUGE TRUING DEVICE il ay 1921 s Shee'ts-Sheet 1 Aug. 28, 1928. 1,682,245.

J. PICKERELL ay 2. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 28, 1928.

v 1,682,245 J. PICKERELL FINGER GAUGE TRUING DEVICE Filed May 2. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 6 iii) Patented Aug. 28, 1928.

UNITED STATES .PArENr owl-CE.

JAMES PICKERELL, 0F HOOPESTON, ILL'INOIS,-.ASSI.GNOR TO AMERICAN' CAN GOM- PANY, OF. NEW YORKyN. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FINGER-GAUGE TBUING DEVICE.

Application filed May 2,

This invention relates in general to slitting machines for sheets of tin and the like, and'has more particular reference to means for preventing the presenting of irregularly positioned sheets or blanks to cutters employed in the machine.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of an improvement upon the mechanism described in the co-pending ap plication, No. 469,116 filed May 13, 1921, of Luther G. Bachelder, on finger gauge truing device.

More particularly stated, the principal object of the invention is the provision of means for preventin the pushing forward or lifting of one of the gauges or finger members employed in a device of this character prior to the squaring up or truing of the sheet or blank. I

A further object of the invention is the provision of means for positively holding each. of'the finger gauges in locked position until the advancing blank has been perfectly aligned with respect to the horizontal line of the cutters, thus rendering impossible the failure of'isa'idgauges to function as intended.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will'be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken inconnection'with the accompanyingdrawings, discloses a preferred embodiment'thereof.

Referring to the drawings; I

Fig. 1 is an elevational View in broken section of a part of a slitting machine upon which my invention is employed;

Fig. 2 is a detail section taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken substantially on the line 3-3'of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the finger members in unlocked'or clearance position, such posit-ion being indicated by dotted lines; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a device employed to prevent the blank from passing under the gauges without tripping them.

Beforeentering upona detailed description of the operation of my invention I will give a brief explanation of the operationof slitting sheets oftin into can body blanks.- It is the generatpractice in can factories to out can body blanks from large 1921. Serial No. 466,316.

sheets, which are procured from the a tin plate mills, of nominal overall dimensions. The'largesheets are taken to a trimming slitter and passed through properly adjust ed slitting cutters that act to trim two 0pposite edges of the large sheet and slit them in one or more sections, each section having a widt'lrequal to can body length; these slit sheets are then taken in packs to the can body slitter and, where hand feeding is employed, the top sheetof the ack'is removed from the pack'on to the sitter feed table through the flat of the operators hand resting on the sheet, when it. is rapidly placed against the ordinarily used' fixed guide gauge which gives the'sheet proper lateral adjustment, and it is then pushed through the slitting cutterand cut'up into can body blanks. hen using only the fixed side gauge for gauging the blanks it is necessary that some kind of a truing or gauging device be employed for contacting with the front edge of the sheet in order to bring that edge into exacti parallelism with the axes of the slitting cutters so that the body blanks cut from the sheet are square and true. improvement'to the Bachelder de vice accomplishes this desirable result in .a very effective and p'osltlve manner as Wlll be fully described. in the following specifica tion.

Upon the drawings employed for the pur pose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in outline a table 11. of a slitting machine, this table servingv as a support also for the mechanism ofi my invention. At the ends of this table are brackets '12 having at their upper ends bearings 13 for a bar or rod 14, which isfree to rotate there in except as otherwise restrained. Fixed upon the rod 14 at intervals are hubs 15 to which are rigidly secured finger gauges 16 havingtheir lower ends 16' protruding downwardly and in front ofthe table 11, it being'understood that the tin sheets or blanks are moved in. any preferred manner over thistable to cutter members 17, which in this instance, are shown as of circular configuration, andmounted upon slitter shafts 18 and 19'.

The generally used'fixed' guage bar at the side of the slitter feed table is used in the operation of myinvention and is necessary tamin the 5am rep-er at-em tid fill Ill)

justment so that the untrimmed edges of the sheet will be trimmed when the sheets are cut into body blanks. t might also be noted here that the slitter cutter heads are provided with teed rolls 1() which engage the sheet as soon as they are presented and automatically carry them through the slitter against the resistance of the slitter cutters. The lower rolls 10 which cooperate with the upper rolls 10 in the usual manner to grasp and advance the sheet are shown in Fig. 4. The position of the brackets 12 is such that the rods 14 and the finger gauges 16 are located in front of the cutters, viewed from the position from which the sheets are advanced, and the lower ends 16 of the gauges are normally positioned between the cutters and at the sides of the cutting edges.

Rigidly secured to the rod 14 and adjacent each of the finger gauges are-locking bars 21, these bars being also secured by means of bolts 22 to the hub members 15, it being noted that both of these parts are fast upon the rod 14. Locking fingers are provided adjacent each of the finger gauges and are pivoted at 24 to ears protruding from a guard 26 which is attached by means of screws 27 to the bracket 12. The upper end 28 of the locking member 23 is squared and adapted to fit in a cut out or recess 29 in the bar 21. A spring 31, secured at one end to the member 23 and at the other to the bar 21, is adapted to normally maintain the member 23 in locked position, i. e., with the end 28 engaged in the recess 29, the member being so shaped that when in such position its lower end 32 is disposed slightly to the rear of the lower end 16 of the finger gauge 16. (Fig. 3.) A forked member 33 is secured by means of screws 34 to the under side of the table 11, and has its forked end bent upwardly, as at 34.- (Figfii), and extending slightly above the level of the table and between adjacent cutters 17. The lower ends of the finger gauge 16 and locking member 23 operate in a slot 35 0t this forked member, and the "forward portion 35 serves to prevent the passage of the sheets beneath the gauges without tripping them.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that I have provided a bored lug 36 having a collar 37 fast on the rod 14;. Extending through the aperture in the lug is a pin 38 having a collar nut 39 at its lower end, and a spring 41 jacketed upon it and bearing upwardly against the lug 86. A projection or flange 42 extends out from the support 12 into position immediately above the lug 36 and the pin 38 has screw threaded engagement at oneend therewith. A bolt 43 is threaded through this flange from the top and its lower end 44: serves as a stop for the upwardly pressed lug S6. The purpose of this arrangement, as will press ently appear, is to offer yielding resistance to rotary movement of the rodll when pressure is exerted against the fingers 16 by the advancing blanks and a positive limitation, by the bolt 43, to'the downward and rearward swinging of the fingers 16.

The action of this device may be seen by reference to Fig. t in which the unlocked position of the parts is shown in dotted lines. It is evident that the rod 14 cannot be rotated so long as the locking member 23 is engaged in the recess 29, and that this locking member is released from such look ing engagement by the advancing sheets upon the table prior to their contact with the linger gauge 16. It will also be understood that one of these locking devices is associated with each of the finger gauges and that they are independently effective to prevent rotation of the rod. It, therefore, .3

requires simultaneous release ol these members to permit the rod to be rotated by pressure exerted by the sheets against the lingers 16, and such release cannot be ef l ected unless the sheets be aligned. If both, locking devices are released at once and the finger gauges simultaneously operated, it proves that the sheet is squared up or aligned, and unless the locking devices are simultaneously released the sheets cannot advance to the cutters. My device is, therefore, automatic in its ction and positively prevents the presenting of an irregularly positioned blank to the cutters.

It has been my experience in the operation of slitters having finger gauges oi' the Bachelder type as referred to that occasionally an operator will 1 ish the sheet through the machine so rapidly'and with so much :torce that the gauges will be moved before the sheet has been properly placed iii-contact with both ofthe finger gauges resulting in inaccurate cutting of the body blanks. To overcome this occasional mis-gauging of the sheet is the principal object of this invention.

This device is complete in itself and may be employed alone or in conjunction with the construction described in the co-pending application of Luther C. Bachelder, above referred to.

lVhile my invention, of itself, provides effective means for accon'iplishing the objects hereinabove specified, it has been found especially advantageous to employ it together with the Bachelder device, in which event it is practically impossible to advance a blank to the cutters in irregular or unaligned position.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and ar rangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention lli lln

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or-"s'aerificing all ofits material advantages, the storm hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment-thereof. i

In addition to its use-sin slitting machines it will be understood that my improvement maybe employed in scoring-"machines for which itis adapted.

I claimr 1. In a slitting machine, means for cutting sheets of tin and the like, and-means for aligning the sheets Witlrrespeet to saidcutting means, saidaligning means comprising a plurality' ot aligned finger gauges connected and movable together and disposed in the path of and operable by'the sheets as they areadvanced to the cutting machines, and removable f'rom-saidpath only when simultaneously operated, and means releasable by the sheet for locking said finger gauges.

2. In a'slitting machine, means for cutting sheets of tin'and the like, and'means for aligning the sheets withrespect to said cutting means, said aligning means com-prising a plurality of aligned finger gauges co-n-' nected and movable together and disposed in the path of and operable by the sheets as they are advanced to the cutting machines, and means 'asso'ciatedwith said gauges for preventing thei'rnnovement from said path except when simultaneously: operated.

3; Ina slitting machine, means tor cutting sheets'of'tin' and'tlie like anclmeans for aligning the sheets with respect to said cutting means, said "last mentioned means comprisingkaligned members obstructing advance of said sheets to said cutting machines,

means for locking said members in 'obstruct-- ing position and'for maintaining them in such position except in theevent that they are simultaneusly operated .by the advancing sheets. I I

4:. In a slitting machine, means for'cutting sheets of tin and :thelike andmeans for aligning the sheets with-respectto'said cut ting means, saidali'gnin'g means comprising finger gauges disposed in the path of movement of the sheets toward thezcutting means, a rotatable member to which said gauges are rigidly secured, means toryieldinglyopposing rotation of said member andmeans for positively locking said member 'againstrota tion and thereby preventing movement of the finger gauges except in the event that: pressure is simultaneously, applied to said gauges. I,

5. In a slittingmachine, means "for'cutting sheets of tin and the like and means for aligning the sheets with respect to said-cutting means, said aligningmeans'comprising supportingmeans, a rotatable member having bearings in said supporting means, a device for yieldingly op osing rotary movement-0t "said member, ,a i ned finger gauges rigidly mounted upon sai d'member and each having'an'end disposed in the path of the sheets as they are moved tosaid cutting means, said ends being movable from said less said gauges be simultaneously operated;

6. In a slitting machine, means for cutting sheets of tin and the like and means for aligningthe sheetswith respect to said cutting means, said aligning meanscomprising a plurality of finger gauges disposed in the path through which the sheets are moved to the cutting means, means whereby the advancing sheets may move said gauges from said path and independent locking means associated with each gauge whereby its movement is prevented except simultaneous ly with the others.

7 In a slitting machine, means for cutting sheets of tin and the like and means for aligning the sheets with respect to said cutting means, said aligning means comprising a plurality of finger gauges disposed inthe path through which the sheets are moved to the cutting means, means whereby the advancing sheets may move said gaugesut'rom said path and independent locking means associated with each gauge whereby its movement is prevented except simultaneous!y with-the others whereby to insure alignment otthesheets prior to their advance to-the cutting means.

8. Means for aligning or'truing the edges ot'moving articles with respect to a given line, comprising aligned finger gauges connected and movable together and disposed in the-path of the articles and removable therefrom'onl'y by simultaneous contact of said articles with each of said gaugr-xs. I

9. Means for aligning or truing the edges of moving articles with respect toa given line, comprising aligned finger gauges disposed in the path of the articles and removable therefrom by the pressure of said articles and independently releasable locking devices associated with each of said gauges and requiring simultaneous release to permit further advance of said articles.

10. Means for aligning or truing the ed ges of moving articles with respect to a given line, comprising aligned finger gauges disposed in the path of the articles and removable thereirom by the pressure oil said articles and independently releasable locking devices associated with each of said gauges and "requiring simutaneous release to permit further advance of said articles, such releasebeing effectib'le only by an aligned article.

11. The combination with sheet-feeding means and cuttingmeans, of a purality of sets of alining devices for temporarily retarding the advance of the shcctto said feedingdevicesftor the purpose of aiming the Jan same, one of said sets acting before the other on the front part of the sheet.

12. The combination with sheet-feeding means and cutting means, of a plurality of sets of alining devices for temporarily retarding the advance of the sheet to said feeding devices for the purpose of alining the same, one of said sets acting before the other on the front part of the sheet and one of said sets maintaining engagement with the sheet until it is held by said feed ing means. a

13. In a machine for gauging and cutting large sheets of tin into accurately dimensioned can body blanks, comprising slitting cutters and feed rolls, movable aligning means for accurately aligning sheets of tin in relation to said slitting cutters and feed rolls, and movable lockin means controlling the movement oi said aligning means, said aligning and said locking means being oper ated through the movement of a sheet of tin contacting therewith only when said sheet is in accurate alignment.

14;. In a machine for gauging and cutting large sheets of tin into accurately dimensioned can body blanks, comprising slitting cutters and feed rolls, movable aligning means for accurately aligning sheetsot' tin in relation to said slitting cutters and feed rolls, and movable locking means controlling the movement of said aligning means, said aligning and said locking means being operated through the movement of a sheet of tin contacting therewith, only when said sheet is in accurate alignment, said aligning and locking means contacting and moving with said sheet until the same is engaged and in the control of said feed rolls and slitting cutters.

15. In a machine for gauging and cutting large sheets of tin into accurately dimensioned can body blanks, comprising slitting cutters and feed rolls, movable spring c0ntrolled aligning means for accurately aligning sheets of tin in relation to said slitting cutters and feed rolls, and movable spring controlled locking means controlling the movement of said aligning means, said align ing and said locking means being operated through the movement of a sheet of tin contacting therewith only when said sheet is in accurate alignment.

'16. In a machine for gauging and cutting large sheets of tin into accurately dimensioned can body blanks, comprising slitting cutters and feed rolls, movable aligning means for accurately aligning sheets of tin in relation to said slitting cutters and feed rolls, said aligning means normally resting in front of said slittlng cutters and feed rolls, and movable locking means normally lying in advance of said aligning means, said locking means being operated through the contact of an advancing sheet before move ment of said aligning means will be permitted after which both said aligning means and said locking means will. move in unison with said advancing sheet until said sheet is in contact with said feed rolls and said slitting cutters.

17 In a machine for gauging and cutting large sheets of tin into accurately dimensioned can body blanks, comprising slitting cutters and feed rollsarranged in opposed pairs, aligning means normally locked against movement and resting at one side or a plane passing through the axes of said pairs of cutters and feed rolls, and locking means normally holding said aligning means against movement resting to the rear of said aligning means, so that an advancing sheet of tin will firstrengage said locking means thus releasing contact with said aligning means, then engage said aligning means, and then by continued movement carry said locking means and said aligning means to a position on the opposite side of said plane, said sheet holding the said locking and aligning means in said position on the opposite side of said, line during its passage through said machine.

18. In a machine for gauging and cutting large sheets of tin into accurately dimensioned can body blanks, comprising slitting cutters and feed rolls arranged'in opposed pairs, spring controlled aligning means normally locked against movement and resting on one side of a plane passing through the axes of said pairs of cutters and feed rolls, spring controlled locking means normally holding said aligning means against move- ,ment and resting in the rear of said aligning means so that an advancing sheet of tin will first engage said locking means thus releasing contact with said aligning means, then engage said aligning means, then by continued'movement carry the said locking means and said aligning means to a position opposite of said plane, and maintain the said aligning and said locking means in said position until the said sheet has passed through and out of the said machine.

19. Means for aligning or gauging the edges of moving articles with respect to a given line, comprising aligned gauges disposed in the path of advancing articles, looking means engaging said aligned gauges and disposed ,in the path of saidadvancing articles, whereby said advancing articles will first engage said locking means releasing the same from said aligned gauges and then engage said aligned gauges and move said gauges and locking means out of their path as they continue their advance.

20. In combination with means for the feeding of articles to an operating mechanism, a plurality of sets of gauging and ali ning devices for accurately aligning said articles until Within the control of said llitiflilr llu ing means and locks for holding the later acting of said devices one of said sets acting in advance of the other and having means for releasing said locks, to insure the perfeet functioning of said other set.

21. In a sheet cutting machine a gauging means comprising a pair of gauging elements connected and operated together to arrest the sheet and turning together out of i 10 the path of the sheet after it has been gauged, and a pair of inde endently movable elements Which are opera lfle independently and successively to arrest the sheet and also to align the sheet prior to its contact With the first mentioned gauging elements, each of the independent gauging elements having means for preventing the movement of both of the connected gauge elements.

JAMES PIGKERELL. 

